1. Field of the Invention
At least one embodiment of the present invention relates generally to controlling facility activity, and more specifically, to managing data centers.
2. Background of the Invention
In response to increasing demands of industrial, developing, and information based economies, data centers and information technology networks continue to proliferate across the globe. This expansion has taken on various forms, including widely distributed computer networks that link together geographically disparate computing resources, as well as data centers, which provide power, cooling, and computing infrastructure to a variety of applications.
Typical data centers contain a number of racks of equipment that require power, cooling, and connections to external communications facilities. In modern data centers and network rooms, the increased density of computing equipment used in these facilities has put strains on their associated power systems. Because this computing equipment generates heat in operation, the cooling systems of these facilities are strained as well.
As the type, size, and complexity of data centers grow, so do the costs associated with their operation. These costs include energy cost associated with power usage, the cost for acquiring electronic devices and infrastructure, the cost of associated cooling or heat dissipation systems, and the salary of maintenance and administration staff.